The Love Between Us
by thepokemonlover
Summary: A story about the love between my favorite Pokemon characters. The Pokemon heroes from Johto, Unova, and Kanto come together to start a new adventure. It's simply a cute story that I thought of one day. Includes palletshipping, ferriswheelshipping, and soulsilvershipping. This is my first fan fiction! Rated T for language. Rating may change later.
1. New Beginings

Two people stood on the porch of a house in the sleepy town of New Bark. A worried mother looked down at her daughter. "Are you sure about this?" she asked.

"Don't worry about it Mom." said the girl, smiling up at her mother, "I'll be fine."

"But Lyra…" said the mother, "It's a very dangerous world out there. Are you sure you're prepared?"

"I told you not to worry!" Lyra reassured her mother, "There's nothing out there that I can't handle. And I have Chikorita with me, so I'll be fine."

"Okay then." said the mother, "Go ahead." She watched her daughter's face light up with joy. Lyra hugged her mother and dashed down the road. She stopped for a moment and waved back at her mother. "_I'll do my best"_ thought Lyra to herself. And with that, she turned and continued down the path.

* * *

The building that was bustling with excitement and energy was now quiet and empty. _"Good," _he thought, _"everyone finally left." _ He checked his surroundings once more before quietly opening the window and removing the screen. Skillfully, he climbed through the window. Nobody was there. Good, if he got caught, it would mean severe punishment. He walked up to the two pokeballs on the table, and…. He hesitated. Even if he needed this pokemon, stealing felt horribly wrong. This would be his new all-time low.

However, he couldn't become a trainer without one, and staying home doing nothing was not an option. Silver took a deep breath, took the pokeball he wanted, and quickly climbed back out of the window.

* * *

"Hey N, are you okay?" Touko asked the green haired boy beside her. "You look upset."

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine." he replied, "I'm just a little worried."

"Worried? About what? Is something wrong?"

"Um it's nothing! I just... Well..." he struggled to find words, "I've never been outside of Unova before. I guess I'm a little scared."

Touko looked disappointed. "Wish you'd have told me something." she scolded, "I could have thought of something else."

"No! I want to go to Johto!I want to have my very own adventure with you." N looked up at her, "I'm just a little nervous, I guess."

Touko wrapped her arms around his. "Listen to me." she said firmly, "I'm always going to be with you, one way or another. I'll never leave you. Understand?"

N seemed more relaxed now. "Yes, I understand." he whispered. "I love you." he added.

"I love you too." sighed Touko. "It's going to be a long ride." she said.


	2. Friendly Faces

Ash walked through the thick underbrush and tall grass. He was slightly annoyed that his rival Gary had followed him to Johto, but he was determined not to let it get in the way of becoming a Pokemon master. Suddenly Ash came to a complete stop. He couldn't believe what he saw in front of him. _"Is that an EEVEE!?"_he thought. Quickly, Ash pulled out a new pokeball and prepared himself "Get ready, Pikachu. We're gonna catch this one." The eevee had noticed them now. It stared up at them, confused and a little scared. "NOW! USE THUNDER SHOCK!" he shouted. Pikachu attacked with everything he had, but the eevee skillfully avoided and dashed into the forest. "I won't let you get away!" shouted Ash, chasing the eevee into the forest. "COME BACK!" he shouted as he turned the corner. But he came to a complete stop as he saw who the eevee was running to.

"Picking on other people's Pokemon?" asked Gary Oak, "How weak of you." Ash stood completely still, in total shock. _"Here of all places." _Ash thought,_"Why now?"_Garry looked at Ash with his classic glare. "Where's your little red-head girlfriend? Did she ditch you?" he smiled evilly, "I knew it would't last."

"SHUT UP! SHE WAS NEVER MY GIRLFRIEND!" Ash shouted in anger.

"Well, don't you have a temper. Did you miss your evening nap?" Gary smirked. He was obviously taking great joy in tormenting Ash.

"Why do you have to be such a jerk?" asked Ash, now red with anger, "This is why you don't have any friends." The smile vanished from Gary's face.

"I'll do what I want." he said calmly, "Stay away from my eevee." Then he continued down the road. Ash kept his head down and continued on his way down the same road. Eventually, Gary noticed Ash following him. "Why are you stalking me?" he asked.

"I'm not!" Ash growled, "This is the only way to the next town." Ash glared at Gary. "I'm going to leave as soon as we get to the next town, so don't get any ideas."

"Fine. I don't want to waste my time with you anyway." They continued down the way in silence.

* * *

Silver stood just outside of Cherrygrove City. He was reflecting on his earlier actions, including his break in at the Pokemon Lab. He was trying to get over the terrible feeling he had inside his stomach. However, he had made a reasonable amount of money by winning battles, and that's what he needed to do. Yes, surely anybody in his position would do the same. He was doing the right thing. But deep down he knew what a horrible lie that was.

His attention was diverted by a young trainer heading towards town. She looked easy enough to defeat, and stupid enough to accept a challenge from anyone._ "This will be over quickly." _He thought. He made his way over to the young trainer, and tried to think of something to she noticed him quicker than he expected. The girl simply smiled warmly at him. This surprised Silver. It made him tense up.

"Hey! I'm Lyra. Do you battle me?" she asked kindly. Silver was pulled back out of his head.

"F-fine," he shrugged, "I have to warn you, I'm no beginner."

"That's OK!" she said enthusiastically, "I don't mind a good fight." The following events amazed Silver. This girl was not only stronger than him, but she fought with spirit and style. Her Pokemon gladly obeyed her and shared her joy. He was astounded at how easily she defeated him. But of course, he took defeat like the poor sport he was."Good match!" complimented the Lyra, "Your Pokemon did really well."

"I don't need your pity." he spat.

"It's not pity." she said, now slightly annoyed, "I was congratulating you."

"Yeah, well nobody gets a trophy just for showing up." Silver tried his best to hide his disappointment, but he seemed to be failing.

"You need to lighten up." said Lyra, "You're way too serious." Silver turned away and started to leave. "Hey!" called Lyra, "I didn't get your name."

"Wouldn't you like to know." he replied harshly.

"Yes I would. That's why I asked smart one." the smile was gone from her face. Instead she looked impatient. This girl was annoying, and he just wanted to leave, but instead...

"Silver." he said quietly.

"Huh?"

"My name is Silver." he said louder. And with that, he hurried down the street. _"Never in my life have I been so embarrassed to have such a stupid name." _he thought as his cheeks turned pink.

_"Silver?"_ Lyra wondered, _"That's a weird name." _she smiled to herself. _"How creative. It's kind of cute."_

"Um, excuse me!" said a voice behind her. Lyra turned to see an older girl and green-haired boy approach her. "Can you help us? We're lost."

* * *

"Okay. We're at the next Cherrygrove now." said Gary, "You can leave now."

"Don't be so rude." Ash hissed, "I promised I'd leave. It's not like anybody would want to hang out with you anyways." Gary simply glared at Ash. Suddenly something slammed into Garry at top speed. Both of them fell to the ground.

"What the hell?" he shouted angrily, "Watch were your going kid!"

"Who are you calling kid?!" a red haired boy got to his feet and stood in front of them. "You watch it!"

"Ya' wanna fight me?" shouted Gary angrily, stumbling to his feet.

"Hey calm down!" said Ash desperately. "We don't need this!"

"Shut up goody-goody." said the boy. Gary started laughing as Ash turned red. He could have easily stopped there, but he liked the attention. "Yeah smart guy, don't tell me what to do." Garry continued to snicker.

"I don't need this." said Ash. He started to walk away.

"Leaving so soon Ashy boy?" taunted Gary, "What a disappointment."

"Ashy boy?" asked the red head, "Really?" Both of them stood still, a little embarrassed. Gary decided to break the awkward silence.

"What's your name kid?" Gary asked. The boy looked away, as if hesitating.

"It's Silver." he muttered.

"Silver? What kind of a name is that?" asked Ash, trying to hold back from laughing.

"What kind of a pet name is 'Ashy boy'?" Silver looked offended.

"Silver is an okay name." Gary said firmly. "You seem pretty legit, Silver. Were ya' headed?"


	3. Come Together

"We appreciate your help Lyra." Touko, N, and Lyra walked towards the outskirts of Cherrygrove. "Thanks a lot!" Touko gave a warm smile to Lyra.

"No problem!" exclaimed Lyra, "You guys are really unfamiliar with this place. Where are you from?"

"We come from the Unova region." N explained, "It's a far way away from Johto."

"Really?! Unova? I hear they have completely different Pokemon there!" All three turned in the direction of the unfamiliar voice. Ash Ketchum came running up the path. "I'm sorry, but I happened to hear you talking. You guys are from Unova?"

"Yes indeed!" Touko seemed happy to meet somebody so interested, "Unova is a very different place from here. You've probably never seen the Pokemon we have there!"

"That's amazing! My name is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. Do you mind if you show me some of your Pokemon?"

"Hey Ashy-boy!" another voice came up from behind them, "Where the hell did you run off to so quickly?" Gary made his way up the path, with Silver following closely behind.

"Gary!" Ash was too thrilled to be angry at Gary, "These guys are from _Unova_!"

"Whoa." Gary stopped in his tracks, "Really? That's like, far away. _Really_ far."

"Look Touko," N teased, "you have a fan club." As the five talked between themselves, Silver stood alone in horror. _"Damn it,"_he thought, _"Why is _**_she _**_here?"_He was trying his hardest not to let his panic bubble to the surface. What was he going to do when she noticed him? _"Hey! You're the kid with the embarrassing name that sucks at battling."_ is what she would say. This was terrifying. _"I have to run far from here."_he thought, _"Get far, far, far away from here."_

Silver's silence did not go unnoticed. N watched as Silver nervously stared at Lyra, frozen to the spot. He simply walked over and casually stood beside him. The poor kid was so nervous that he didn't even notice. N remembered when he was like that. When approaching Touko was unthinkable. Something must be done.

"Tell her she's sexy." N whispered in a low voice. The kid turned to him looking shocked.

"What!?"

"Tell her she's sexy." he repeated, pointing at Lyra. The boys face was as red as his hair.

"Why!?" he seemed panicked now.

"Girls like to hear that they're sexy." N said, as if it was _obvious_.

"W-why would I tell _her_ that?" N looked confused at this response.

"So, you don't think she's sexy?" Silver stayed silent. He didn't know how to answer that. _Why_ _didn't know how to respond to that?_ N smiled.

"I understand." he said. Then he simply walked back to the group. _"What are you doing?"_Silver thought. Then he watched in horror as the green haired boy did the worst thing possible.

"You trainers seem pretty cool." he told Ash and Gary, "Do you wanna travel with us?"

"W-would you really let us?" stuttered Ash.

"Of course!" said Touko, "And you can come too, Lyra!"

"Really?" Lyra was filled with joy," I'd _love_that!"

"Well, okay!" Gary looked like he was trying hard to keep his cool. Silver watched from a distance. This wasn't happening. None of this was real. Now not only would he be traveling with little miss pigtails, but also two others. _Five_people. That was too many. He was barely social enough to hang out with two.

_"What am I supposed to do? I can't leave. I don't want to be alone anymore."_Silver thought, _" Who would want to be friends with me?"_Then he took a second to think how pathetic that sounded. And it sounded so pathetic that he felt sorry for himself.

"Fine." he said aloud. Nobody herd him but N, and he just smiled and turned away.

_" You done good, N."_N thought to himself, _"You done good."_

Silver sighed to himself. _"Fuck."_


	4. Do You Like Her?

The newly formed group of trainers headed to Violet City. Ash and Gary seemed to already be comfortable with the group. Silver trailed behind, trying to stay away from Lyra. He was more comfortable being alone in the back round than confronting her. _"This sucks. This sucks. This sucks."_ was the only thing he was thinking.

"Why are you so depressed all the time?" asked a voice. Silver turned and noticed the green haired boy walking beside him.

"What the hell do you want?" Silver snapped, looking at him with his best evil eye.

"I wanted to know why you're always alone." the boy was persistent, "Do people scare you? Or are you just anti-social?"

"That's none of your business."

"Are you determined to be unhappy?"

"Why do you care so much? Go away, I don't want to talk to anybody." Silver put his head down and walked a little faster. The boy quickened his pace to keep up. _"Damn you! GO AWAY!"_ Silver thought angrily.

"My name is N." said the boy.

"What kind of a name is that?" Silver laughed rudely.

"You should talk 'Silver'." N shot back. For a moment there was an awkward silence. Finally, N broke the seemingly impenetrable silence, "So, what's the deal with you and miss pigtails?" Silver glared at him. How could he not know he was making it worse? Could he not tell how badly Silver wanted to be left alone?

"I don't want to talk about it." is all Silver could think to say.

"How much do you like her? Do you like her, or do you _'like'_ her?" pryed N.

"Huh?" Silver looked confused.

"You know," N was whispering now, "do you like her, or do you_ 'like like'_ her?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Do you like her, or do you _liiiiiiiike_ her?"

"You're weird." Silver was just avoiding the question now. This only confirmed N's belief. He giggled.

"So you love her?" N said this a little too loud. Lyra whirled around in surprise.

"Silver loves who?" she asked. Sliver's face turned bright red. He shot a death look at N.

"DIE!" he shouted and threw a punch at N with extreme force. N dodged quickly, and Silver's fist made contact with a young tree. The entire tree shook as a heap of leaves fell on Silver's head. N laughed uncontrollably as Silver shook with rage. "I'll kill you in your sleep..." Silver thought, gritting his teeth. Then he felt something touch him. He turned and saw Lyra reach to the top of his head.

"W-what are you doing?" he stuttered nervously. He felt an unfamiliar excitement spread through him. His heart pounded.

"You have leaves on your head. I was just getting them off-" Lyra suddenly looked surprised, "Wow! Your hair is really soft!" Silver felt a warmth in his chest race through his body to his face. He quickly slapped her hand away.

"I don't need a babysitter!" he growled angrily. He turned away, "Keep your hands offa me."

"Fine! I was only helping. I don't need to waste my time with you!" Lyra turned forward and dashed ahead with the others. Silver was enraged. He didn't understand this feeling. He still could feel where her hand had been placed on his head. It felt hot and tingly. _"Damn her!" _he thought,_ "Maybe **I** should touch **her** hair! Make her feel the same way I feel_ _right now!"_ This didn't help. Now all he could think about was touching her head. Her perfect, little, brunette head...

"Hey!" N's voice pulled him out of his fantasy, "Your cheeks match your hair." he teased.

"Sh-sh-shut up!" Silver shouted. N quickly dashed ahead to avoid getting hit, and Silver hung back to get away from everybody. He reached up and touched the part of his head that Lyra had. A smile broke out across his face. He was so ashamed of being happy, but he couldn't stop smiling. _"Okay." _he thought, _"Maybe I can stay."__  
_


	5. Ash x Gary

The group had made it to the Pokemon Center in Violet City. Tired and exhausted, each of them handed over their Pokemon to Nurse Joy for healing. Seeing as it would take a while for all the Pokemon to heal, they each found things to occupy themselves with.

"I'm going to take a nap." Gary declared, stretching out on the couch.

"Me too." sighed Silver. He hadn't battled anyone, but he was exhausted for some reason. Ash seemed to be the only one still full of energy.

"I'm going to go find something to eat." He said, "Anyone wanna come?" He got no response. Everybody was just sitting, looking tired. "What about you, Touko?"

"Grrrrrff..." Touko made a grunting sound as her only response. Then she cuddled up to N. The amount of energy in the room was underwhelming.

"Fine." Ash grumbled, "I'll be back in 30 minutes or so. Come on Pikachu." They both left the Pokemon Center and made their way down the street. "Everyone is so lazy." he sighed. Pikachu simply nodded in agreement. They were almost to the PokeMart when something caught Ash's attention. There was a tall, mysterious tower in the distance. Without thinking, he made his way over to the tower and read the sign in front.

"Sprout Tower." He read aloud. He took another look at the structure. "This looks pretty cool! How about it Pikachu?" Pikachu seemed disappointed that they weren't getting snacks, but he followed anyway.

* * *

Gary awoke suddenly when he felt something furry and heavy hit his head. He opened his eyes to see his eevee sitting on his face. "GET OFF!" he shouted as eevee jumped to the ground. It shot him a look of annoyance before walking away. Gary rubbed his eyes and sat up, feeling slightly dizzy. "Oh man, what time is it?" he muttered.

"It's 6:00 pm." answered Lyra. Everybody seemed up and moving already.

"Then why are we still here?" he asked.

"We were waiting for you to wake up. Ash hasn't come back yet also." she seemed distracted with playing with her Chikorita.

"Well when did he leave?"

"I don't know, like, two hours ago."

"Two hours ago?" Gary felt worried suddenly.

"Yeah, he was going to the PokeMart or something. He said it would only take him a half an hour."

"Oh..." He was trying not to let his emotions show. Ash had been gone too long. What if something happened? What if Ash was in trouble? All of his Pokemon were here, and he could easily be tricked. He was only 10 years old, and someone could abduct him before anybody noticed. Gary didn't notice that he was standing up.

"Gary, are you okay?" he heard Lyra ask him.

"What? Yeah, I'm fine." he replied, "I think I need to go for a walk. By myself."

"Okay fine, but don't take too long." said Touko. Quickly, he hurried out of the door and onto the darkened street. It was only 6:00, but the sky was already dark. _"Lets see..." _thought Gary, _"Where would I find him?" _He walked passed some houses and the gym, keeping a sharp eye out for Ash. _"That idiot." _he thought, _"He's probably goofing off somewhere ." _

"HELLO!" someone shouted behind him. Gary spun around in panic, taking a Pokeball off his belt. He prepared for battle. "Hahah! I got you!" He relaxed as he realized it was only Ash.

"What the hell?" Gary shouted angrily, "You scared me!"

"Yeah, you should've seen the look on your face!" Ash seemed amused. Oddly, Gary felt relieved to see Ash unharmed. He was still upset though.

"Do you know how long you've been gone?" Gary scolded, "Everyone is waiting for you to show up." Ash smiled evilly.

"Did you miss me Gary?" he asked. The question shocked Gary, leaving him unable to respond. "I didn't know you cared." teased Ash.

"I- I don't care at all." Gary was lying. He felt worried that Ash would see through him. But Ash seemed satisfied with that.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to get a snack." Ash ran towards the PokeMart.

"Hey wait! We need to get back to the others!" Gary shouted, following behind him. Ash didn't seem to hear him. He made it all the way inside before Gary caught up. Ash was just standing in front of the snacks. He looked slightly frustrated.

"What's wrong?" Gary asked impatiently.

"...I don't have enough money for any of this..." He said, slightly embarrassed.

"What? Why not?"

"Because I blew it on revives."

"For the love of Arceus Ash." Gary muttered. "What do you want?"

"Huh?"

"I'll buy you something. What do you want?" Ash seemed confused and a little startled. But he chose something anyway. As they left the shop, Ash suddenly stopped.

"Lets sit over here." he said, pointing at a spot by a tree. Gary didn't have time to answer before Ash grabbed his hand and pulled him underneath the tree.

"You're a handfull, Ash." said Gary, trying not to look him in the eyes. If he did he would start blushing. Ash simply stared at him.

"Thank you for buying me this." he said in a low voice. Then he passed over the box of pocky. "You want some?" Gary didn't say anything. He just looked away and took a piece. There was a silence for a while before Ash looked at Gary and noticed something. "Hey Gary, why are you blushing?"

"I'm not!" he was startled now, "It's just... cold outside."

"Then lets go back." said Ash standing up. _"Damn.__" _thought Gary, _"That was close."_ They made their way back to the Pokemon Center. Everyone was waiting for them. As they all gathered their stuff and prepared to go, Gary hung back. He sighed to himself. _"I'm too soft." _he thought, _"If I'm not careful, he's going to find out how I feel."_


	6. Big Brother

"Union Cave..." read Touko to the rest of the group, as they stared into the darkness. "It says Azalea Town is on the other side." she said looking at her map.

"It's really dark in there..." said Ash nervously.

"Are you scared Ashy-boy?" asked Gary with a smirk, "That's so like you. 10 years old and afraid of the dark."

"SHUT UP!" Ash shouted as Gary laughed. "I'm not afraid! I have a gym badge now!"

"So do I. Doesn't mean you're brave."

"He does have a point though." said N as Ash tried to hit Gary. "Someone could get lost. We should partner up."

"I CHOOSE TOUKO!" said Lyra, grabbing Touko by the arm. "I want some girl bonding time!"

"Then I'll go with Silver." N smiled. The look on Silver's face showed how much he disapproved of this.

"Don't worry Ashy-boy." teased Gary, "The dark won't hurt you."

"I AM NOT AFRAID!" Ash shouted. He grabbed Gary by the hand and pulled him into the cave, "I'LL SHOW YOU!"

"Lets get going too." Touko said to Lyra, holding her by the arm and guiding her into the cave. N and Silver followed behind. They didn't get very far before running into wild Pokemon and trainers. The group quickly separated to cover ground. Silver was doing his best to avoid conversation with N. He tried to keep battling everything he saw so he wouldn't have to talk. But this didn't last long.

"Your Pokemon are tired." N said casually. This made Silver angry.

"Oh yeah? How do you know?"

"They told me."

"They told you did they?" Silver laughed. " That's nice." the last part came out harsh.

"They also say that you're a good drawer." N said. Silver was startled at this. "Is that true? You draw?"

"H-how did you..." Silver turned away, embarrassed "No." he whispered finally.

"And that you battle to earn money for your mother."

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Silver was suddenly enraged. "DON'T TALK ABOUT HER!" he walked a little faster, as if trying to get away from N. There was a moment of horrible silence before N decided to speak again.

"I never had real parents." Silver stopped dead in his tracks. "I've never had a blood related family member. But I did have servants." N walked up beside Silver. "And they never liked me." Both of them stood there for a moment. N turned and looked down at Silver. "What do you draw?"

"N-nothing really." whispered Silver.

"I wish I could do something cool like that." said N, "My only talent is talking to Pokemon."

"You're good at battling though." Silver was a little more confident now. "And you have a girlfriend." N laughed at the statement.

"I got lucky there." he sighed, "I was a pale geek who had spent his whole life locked away in a castle. Not to mention several other things." He paused for a second, "But I guess everything turned out fine."

"Hey I was wondering..." Silver's voice was still quite, "What does 'N' stand for?" For a second N just stared at Silver, as if he didn't know how to respond. "Well...?"

"Promise you won't tell Touko." N whispered.

"Why?"

"PROMISE!"

"Okay, okay!" Silver crossed his heart. "I won't tell anyone. What is it?"

N blushed from embarrassment, "It's... Natural Harmonia Gropius." he muttered quietly. He glanced over at Silver, who was trying his very hardest not to laugh. After a while of covering his face and muffling the sound of his laughter with his jacket, he managed to look up.

"Th-that's unique...!" he had tears in his eyes. "It's very..." he couldn't help himself anymore, "FANCY! IT'S FANCY! SUCH FANCINESS!" he started laughing into his jacket again. N felt a little betrayed.

"You're mean." he said, and continued to walk by himself.

"I'm sorry!" Silver shouted, still giggly, "But that was too good! Come on!" he dashed after N. "Hey, they should have a club for people like us huh? People with terrible names." Silver was trying his best to make N feel better, and N seemed satisfied with that.

"We're reaching the end of the cave now." N noticed, as a light in the distance grew brighter. They stood by the exit to wait for the others. "Hey." N touched Silver on the shoulder, "If you ever need brother advice, ask me."

"Yeah, okay." Silver muttered, looking at the ground.

"So you accept me as your big brother?"

"Sure, why not?"

N smiled. "First big brother piece of advice." he made sure Silve was looking at him, "Don't be afraid to tell Lyra you love her."

"SHUT UP! I DON'T-" Silver tried to hit N again, but seeing as the others were approaching, he quickly shifted into a casual looking pose.

"Is everybody here?" asked Gary.

"Yeah." said Touko, "Let's get to Azalea now. I'm hungry."

"Seconded!" Ash looked proud. "I told you I wasn't scared Gary."

"Whatever." Gary sighed.

As they walked up Route 33, Silver reflected on the day._ "I guess I have a best friend now." _he thought. _"I've never had one of those before. It feels nice."_ He wondered what having a "big brother" would be like.


	7. Love Quizzes and a Well

"Everybody's gone today..." sighed Lyra. The boys had gone out together to goof off, leaving Touko and Lyra alone.

"I guess they need their bonding time." Touko sighed, "They have been getting along better lately. Besides, I could use an hour or two without boys." She pulled out a magazine and began to read. "I like them and all, but it's too overwhelming at times."

"What are you reading?" asked Lyra.

"Oh, I get the Trainer's Magazine every time we stop by the Pokemon Center." she said. They have a lot of quizzes I like to take."

"Can I take one?"

"Sure, how about this 'Does he like me?' quiz?"

"Nobody likes me..." Lyra sighed sadly. Touko smiled.

"I know someone who does." she said.

"Really? Who?" Lyra sat up, suddenly interested.

"Silver." Touko laughed at the expression on Lyra's face.

"Don't be silly." Lyra said, "He hates me."

"But whenever you're around he gets all nervous and quiet." she grinned, "You should take advantage of this."

"Why would I do something like that?"

"Because he insults you all the time. I'm not saying that you should emotionally destroy him, but it would be fun to get him back for those insults."

"You have a point."

"Of course I do."

"Hey Touko, if you don't mind me asking..." Lyra nervously pulled at her skirt, "how did you and N get together?"

Touko laughed. "It's a funny story. He tried to ask me out several times."

"How many times did he have to try?!" asked Lyra, leaning closer to hear.

Touko laughed again. "Okay, so get this. We were in a certain town in Unova called Nimbasa City, and there was this Ferris Wheel..."

* * *

"And we also have this Pokemon called 'Purrlion'. It's sorta like a skitty, but not. It's hard to describe." N was telling the boys about the magical place of Unova.

"That sounds so cool!" Ash was listening with excitement as N told him about the Pokemon he'd seen. "I wish I could go there!"

"You probably will someday." N smiled as Ash's face lit up. "If you aim to be a Pokemon Master, you have to go to all the regions!"

"He's not going to be better than me!" Gary said proudly. But Ash seemed to distracted with admiring N. Gary clenched his fists. _"Stupid." _he thought, _"If Unova over there gets any ideas..."_

"Hey!" Silver called out, waving his hand in front of Gary's face.

"W-what?"

"What are you thinking about?" asked Silver, "I've been trying to get your attention, but you keep staring into space."

"Um, sorry." Gary looked at the ground. Silver seemed confused for a second, but decided to let it go.

"N is pretty cool huh?" So Silver was also one of N's little fanboys. How nice. "He's real nice."

"Yeah." Gary clenched his fists even tighter.

"Did you know he can talk to Pokemon?"

"What!?" Gary was worried now.

"Yeah, he really can." Silver said, "It's a good thing Ash doesn't know huh? He'd never leave N alone."

"Yeah... a good thing for sure." Gary realized the seriousness of the situation. _"Ash is crazy for Pokemon." _he thought, _"If he found out, he'd never pay attention to me again."_ Something must be done.

"You're acting weird. Are you okay?" Silver bent downward so Gary looked at his face instead of the ground.

"I'm fine." said Gary. He walked around Silver to get to Ash and N. For no reason at all, he grabbed Ash's hat and pulled it over his eyes.

"Gary! What are you doing?! Stop it!" Ash tugged the hat off his head.

_"That's better." _Gary thought. "What? Did I do something?" he asked obnoxiously.

"Why did you do that?" Ash stared Gary down, but he seemed unaffected.

"Lets do something fun." he said.

"Hey! I asked you something!" Ash was red from anger.

"There's a well not to far from here called 'Slowpoke Well'. Let's go down it." Gary's face remained emotionless. "Let's go down it."

"Why would we do that?" asked N.

"Because, I want to do something fun." Gary shot a look at Ash to irritate him, "Unless you're scared of a deep, dark well."

"I TOLD YOU!" Ash shouted, "I'M NOT AFRAID OF THE DARK!"

"Then you won't mind if we have a little adventure?"

"MIND? I WON'T MIND! I'D BE HAPPY!" Ash seemed unaware that he was still yelling.

"Okay, but let's tell the girls first. They might want to come." N suggested. The four of them began to walk back to the girls.

"Do you ever wonder what Lyra and Touko talk about when we leave?" asked Silver.

"Probably about boys they like." said N.

"Shut up."

* * *

"HELLOOOOOOOOOO!" Lyra screamed into the well and listened to her echo. The group stood outside the well, preparing their Pokemon. "The name of this well is a lie. It's called 'Slowpoke Well' but I don't see any slowpoke."

"Maybe they don't like it when you yell into their home with your annoying voice." Silver suggested.

"I hope you step on a lego." she shot back. Silver glared at her before going over to N.

"Are we going to partner up again?" asked Touko.

"Sure, but let's get into groups of three this time." N said. "I'll go with Ash and..."

"ME!" Gary called out. "Me too." He was determined to keep the two apart.

"That leaves us together!" Touko said happily.

"Yay!" Lyra enthusiastically jumped up and down.

_"He did this on purpose." _Silver thought, glaring at N. _"Well played."_

Slowly, each of them made their way down the ladder and into the well. The dim light provided by the flashlights showed them the entrance to a cave. Lyra couldn't help but wonder if Silver actually liked her. It didn't seem like the type of person to develop a crush on someone, especially her. She decided to test Touko's theory. Lyra walked up beside Silver and grabbed onto his arm. She watched his face as he tried to pull away from her.

"What are you doing?" he nervously began to push her away.

"Hugging you."

"W-why?" Silver began to blush.

"Do you mind?" she tightened her grip. "Silver, are we friends?"

"S-stop!" he struggled against her. He could feel his face going red. Finally, Lyra decided to let go, and Silver dashed ahead. He didn't notice that he was panting slightly until then. His heartbeat echoed in his ears. _"What the hell is going on?!" _Silver reached up to touch his face. He was hot from blushing. _"That stupid girl! What the hell was she doing?"_ He continued to walk, keeping away from everyone.

Lyra was shocked that Touko had been right. Silver did feel something. She knew he did. But she decided that it was only a slight interest. However, this did mean that she could get him back for those insults...


	8. Slowpoke Tails

The darkness parted for the group of young trainers that were making their way through the cave. N, Gary, and Ash fell behind the other three. Gary was making sure that he stayed in between Ash and N. Yet, they continued to talk as if he wasn't there.

"Are there PokeMarts in Unova?" Ash was staring admiringly up at N.

"Well, yes. But they have them built into the Pokemon Centers." N said.

"How clever!" Ash's enthusiasm was killing Gary. He decided he was done with this.

"Hey! What's that?" Gary pointed in the general forward direction.

"What?" Ash strained to see what Gary was pointing at.

"I thought I saw a Pokemon!"

"Really!?" Ash raced ahead without asking any further questions.

"Hey Gary," N asked as soon as Ash was gone, "why do you mess with Ash so much?"

Gary didn't have to think about it. "Ash is like my play-thing." he explained, "I mess with him, and he gets mad and does something funny."

"Y-your 'play-thing'?" N said, a little confused.

"Yes." Gary confirmed, "_My _ play-thing. Got it?"

"Yeah I got it!" N was slightly scared now.

"Good." Gary turned and walked ahead before N could respond. He met up with Ash, who was still looking for a Pokemon.

"It must have run away." Ash said. Gary only nodded in response.

_"I called him my play- thing..."_ he thought.

* * *

Silver walked by himself, trying to cool off. He was lost in deep thought until he stumbled upon something on the ground. It looked sort of like... the end of a slowpoke's tail. _"That's weird," _he thought, _"Those are only found on the black market." _He noticed that there was an unusually large amount of trash in this area.

"Silver!" Lyra's voice echoed off the walls of the cave as she ran to meet him. "What's going on?"

"I think there are poachers down here." he pointed to the slowpoke tail on the ground.

"Oh," she looked concerned, "then I'll go up ahead and see what's going on. You go tell Touko."

"Hey! I don't take orders from you!"

"What's the matter?" Lyra looked Silver in the eyes and grinned. "Are you worried about me?" Startled, Silver took a step back.

"N-no, I-" his stutter made her smile.

"Go tell everyone. I'll be fine." she continued on her way down the path. He remained motionless for a second. Did she know something? He turned and went to look for the others.

* * *

Lyra watched Silver turn and leave before continuing on her way. She had called out her Chikorita, and it was happily skipping along beside her. She began to wonder who or what it was that she would be up against.

"Hey!" an unfamiliar voice called behind her, "Who are you? You're not supposed to be here!" Lyra turned to face a man wearing all black. His shirt had a big red letter 'R' on it.

Lyra thought fast, "What are _you_ doing here?" she asked, trying to look intimidating.

"That's none of your business." he hissed, "Now get out, before I knock you out." But, to the man's surprise, she stood her ground. Chikorita got ready to defend. "Fine." the man said, "If you want to battle, let's battle."

* * *

"Where did you say she was?" N called to Silver as the rest of the group followed him down deeper into the cave.

"She was just over here!" he called back. All of them were running through the moist air, trying to get to Lyra.

Silver came to a complete stop. He saw Lyra, who looked like she had won another Pokemon battle. Across from her was a man in a black uniform, who had a mixture of shock and fear on his face. He tried to see what was on his shirt. It looked like... an 'R'?

"Oh hi everyone!" Lyra seemed completely unharmed. "Look! I found a bad-guy!" Everyone else seemed shocked with her casualness and overall joy. "It was easy!"

"Um, I'm going to go see if there are more of them up ahead." said Gary. Everyone else followed except for Silver. He was trying to figure out where he'd seen that logo before. There was a very vague feeling that he'd seen it when he was little. He just wasn't sure if it was a memory or a dream. But more important things were happening right now, and he didn't have time to daydream.

This strange team in black was disappointing to the young group of trainers. They seemed to only use zubat and rattata, which became predictable. Also, they seemed to have a lack of experience. There sure were a lot of them, though.

Silver was able to move ahead unnoticed because of the distractions his friends were causing the poachers. As he walked through the cave, he noticed an odd shape that was leaning against the cave wall. Cautiously, Silver inched his way closer to the shape. As he got closer to the object, he realized it was a man. Not like the other guys he'd seen, he wasn't wearing a uniform. "Hello?" he called, "Are you okay?"

"Oh thank Arceus!" the man said, "A trainer! Look, you need to help me..." he tried to stand, but he seemed injured. "Team Rocket has gotten back together."

"Team Rocket?" Silver asked. "Are those the guys in black?"

"Yes. I came down here to try to stop them, but I got hurt." he said. "You need to stop them!"

"Hey, slow down. What's your name?"

"I'm Kurt. And right now, we need to stop T-"

"Take it easy!" Silver interrupted. This guy was serious. "My friends are here too. We'll take care of them. Right now you need some help." Silver took the man's arm and swung it over his shoulder. Slowly, they began to walk down the path.

"How many other trainers were there?" asked Kurt. His persistence was beginning to annoy Silver.

"There's like, five other people down here. So don't worry about it."

"Thank you for helping me..."

"Yeah, don't mention it."

* * *

Lyra had just finished a battle with what seemed like the remainder of the team in black. In panic, they signaled each other to retreat, and had left the cave in a matter of seconds. _"What a bunch of creeps." _Lyra thought to herself, _"What the hell were they doing here anyway?"_ She turned and saw Silver and some other guy making their way towards her.

"Silver, where did you get the person?" she asked.

"My name is Kurt." said the stranger.

"Oh, okay. Where did you get the Kurt?"

"Now isn't the time for being stupid, pig tails. This guy needs help." Silver sighed. "This is Lyra, one of the trainers I was talking about." he said to Kurt, "She's an airhead."

"Hey! I'm not!"

"You," muttered Kurt, "did you stop Team Rocket?"

"Well, I don't know about these 'Team Rocket' guys, but I did just finish this group of poachers wearing bl- oh. I guess I did." she smiled pleasantly as Silver face-palmed.

"We should get out of here then." Kurt suggested.

"Okay! Silver, you take Kurt out of here, I'll call the others on my PokeGear."

As they turned and left, Kurt leaned over and whispered to Silver, "Girls, am I right?"

"Yeah, totally."

"It's really impossible to keep up with them once you start dating."

"You got that r- WHAT?!"


	9. Thinking About Rivals

"Those Team Rocket guys were pretty disappointing." Silver muttered as he slumped down beneath a tree. "If you're going to commit a crime, at least _try_ to do it right." He stopped as he saw everybody staring at him with blank looks. "Not that I would know about committing crimes."

"Oh, that Kurt guy was nice to give us Lure Balls for helping him though." Ash said.

"Yeah, especially since you don't have the money to pay for them yourself." Gary said, laughing.

"I'd be really mad if that wasn't true." Ash sighed. Gary sympathetically gave Ash a pat on the head.

"Heeeeeeey everybody!" Lyra came dashing up the street caring something in her hands. "You'll never guess what I got!"

"What is it now, pig tails?" Silver asked, slightly annoyed by her yelling. She stuck the object out in front of her, revealing it to be an egg.

"Ooooooh! Pretty!" Touko took a closer look at it.

"Do you know what it will hatch into?" N said, poking the egg gently.

"Oh hey wait." Lyra took out her PokeGear. "I'm gonna call Joey real quick."

"Joey?" Silver asked, suddenly interested.

"Yeah. He's gonna be so jealous!" she smiled with pride.

Silver stood up quickly. "Who is this 'Joey'?!" he demanded.

"Just some kid I met on the way to Violet City." she said innocently. "He's always bragging about his rattata. This will shut him up."

"Joey who owns a ratatta..." Silver didn't know Joey, and he didn't want to know him. Lyra knew many other people, but he never thought about other boys. And on top of that, this "Joey" had her number. How? How could Joey have her number when he didn't? Silver didn't like this. This odd feeling he had. But the feeling was strong, and it told him to keep Lyra away from Joey.

The group experienced an awkward silence as Silver stared at the ground, lost in deep thought. Finally, Ash broke the silence in the worst way possible way. "Is Joey like, your boyfriend or something?" Silver's head suddenly jerked upward, waiting for her response.

Lyra suddenly felt pressured. "It's not like that! He's just a friend!" she said nervously. "Stop looking at me like that Silver!" she started waving her hands around frantically, as if that would make him stop staring. Startled, Silver looked away quickly and tried not to blush.

"Yeah Silver," Touko teased, "what's with you? Are you jealous of this Joey person?" a huge smile broke out on her face. "How sweet!"

"JEALOUS?! I HAVE NO REASON TO BE JEALOUS!" he turned around, enraged.

"Don't worry Silver." Lyra was joining in on it too. "I still love you just like everyone else." She wrapped her arms around him, making his face turn red.

"G-get off!" he forcefully pulled her arms off of his shoulders. "I'm going to go train in the forest!" he announced, "I'm going to get stronger so I don't end up a soft, air head like you." he shot a look at Lyra before turning and running away.

"How annoying." sighed Lyra.

"He sure does act weird sometimes." Ash commented. "But I guess there's always that one friend who acts like a nutcase."

* * *

Silver sat beside a tree in the Ilex Forest and stared into space. He felt like being alone. But that was boring, even if he did have a lot to think about. So he took out his journal and started to sketch. At first, he was trying to draw a person that seemed to look like a girl. He tried to draw her with short hair, and then long hair, but decided she looked better with it tied up. She also needed... a hat. She needed a hat. He took a second to look at the picture, but the slammed the book shut in frustration.

_"I've been drawing Lyra this whole time."_ he thought angrily, _"What the hell is with me?"_ He folded his arms around his head and let out a huge sigh. Suddenly, he felt his poke ball begin to shake. His Cyndaquil popped out, and immediately began to snuggle up to it's master.

"Get away!" Silver tried to get the Pokemon off him without burning himself. "Stop! What do you want?" Cyndaquil gave him a stare. It seemed to talk with it's eyes. He had never noticed this before. Cyndaquil looked as if it was trying to say something. It seemed to be asking him, _"How do you feel?"_ Silver didn't know what to do. This was the first time he had ever tried to listen.

"I feel tired." He said out loud. He didn't know whether he was talking to the Pokemon or himself. "And a little sad." Cyndaquil curled up next to him. He could imagine what it was saying.

_"You want to be her friend?" _He pretended it could talk to him, like an imaginary friend.

"Of course. I want to have friends."

_"But her especially."_

"I guess so."

_"Why?"_

"I don't know." He was still talking aloud. "She makes me feel nice, I guess." Cyndaquil rested it's head on his leg.

_"I am friend. I always be friend." _Silver put his hand on top of his Pokemon's head.

"Thank you."

* * *

Ash felt something cold and wet hit the back of his neck. He spun around to see his rival laughing his head off. "GARY!" He called out in rage, "FOR THE LAST TIME, STOP SHOOTING SPIT BALLS AT ME!"

"Oh, I'm sorry." He said cruelly, "Did I make Ashy-boy mad?"

"You're such a-" Ash tried to find a good insult, but his mind drew a blank.

"You're so terrible with insults." Gary sighed, "Go ahead. I'm such a what?"

"Y-you..." Ash desperately searched for something to say. "You unbent paper clip!"

"What?" Gary stared at him, confused. Ash was confused too, but it was too late to say something else.

"Yeah! You unbent paper clip!"

"What does that even mean?"

"You're useless!" Ash shouted, "Like an unbent paper clip!"

"What's going on?" Touko asked as she walked up to them. "I keep hearing yelling, and I'm trying to nap."

"Sorry Touko, Ash is being stupid again." Gary sounded as if he was actually apologizing, which made Ash even more upset.

"You last slice of bread!" he still didn't have anything clever to say.

"Hmmm?"

"Nobody wants you! Like that last slice of bread that's always left over!"

"Oh, Ash." Touko sounded slightly disappointed.

"We need to get you an insult book or something. Then at least you'll have a fighting chance."

"I don't need you Gary." Ash huffed.

"Yes you do. You'd fall apart without me."

"Yeah right. I doubt it." Ash turned and began to walk away.

"Hey! Where are you going? I'm talking to you!"

Touko sighed, as if she was exhausted from having to deal with them. "Why do you two fight all the time? You're like an old married couple." She laughed as they both stopped and looked at her in horror.

"Eeew! Touko, WHY?" Ash seemed traumatized. "Why would you say that?"

"Y-yeah." Gary nervously pulled at his shirt. "That's stupid..."

"I'm going. I'm done." Ash said as he hurried away from the two.

It was going to take a while to get that image out of his head. At least a couple of days. That's how long it _usually_ took to forget about it, whenever the idea crossed his mind. He slowed his pace and came to a stop. _Whenever it crossed his mind_. What did that mean? Did he really think about it that much? He shook his head, trying to come to his senses._ "No, no. I'm perfectly normal. __I feel nothing. Nothing at all. I'm normal." _he reassured himself, _"I'm pretty sure, at least."_

* * *

Silver waited anxiously at the edge of town. He had fully healed Pokemon, and a killer strategy. So why was he so nervous? He clenched Cyndaquil's poke ball tightly in his hand. The event in the forest made him think... where Pokemon really like friends? Would they understand him? That was his biggest question. But he doubted they could ever understand him. That anyone could...

"Hey Silver!" Lyra's voice cut through the haze of deep thought, "What are you doing, standing alone on the edge of town?"

Silver breathed quietly to calm himself. "I want a rematch." he said.

Lyra smiled deviously. "So. That's the case, is it?" she signalled Chikorita to come forward. "Well then, I hope you are prepared." She had a talent for throwing people off their game.

"I am indeed ready." Silver readied himself as he and all his Pokemon charged into battle. His strategy was excellent. His Pokemon were strong. There was no way he could lose. And yet...

"Victory!" Lyra shouted in triumph as her last remaining Pokemon rose from the dust. Silver stood in awe. That was twice she had beaten him now. How did she have such skill? He was one of the most powerful trainers around, so how was he still losing? Lyra wasn't done bragging yet. "Awww. Don't worry Silver." She teased, "Someday, you'll be at my level."

"I don't need your sympathy." He still had to try to look cool. "You just have luck."

"It doesn't matter what it is I have. But I have it and you don't." she twirled around happily and began to skip away. Silver trying to sort through the thoughts in his head. Normally, if he was beaten he'd feel a terrible mixture of anger along with a soul crushing self loathing. But he didn't feel like that at all. Honestly, he wasn't even mad. It was almost as if just battling her was enough.

"Yo, Silvy!" Lyra had come back for something.

"What now?"

"N called and said that we're all meeting at the Pokemon Center. Hurry up!" She dashed off towards the center. Silver simply took his time to walk, and tried to decide whether or not he liked it when she battled him.


	10. Lots of like, if you know what I mean

**NOTE: So terribly sorry this took so long. It was a mixture of writer's block and procrastination. I didn't give up! But anyways, here it is.**

* * *

Lyra walked alone down a street somewhere in Goldenrod City. A tall structure towered above the other buildings, casting a giant shadow over her. She felt the chill of the night settle inside her, as if a ghost walked through her body. _"It's so cold."_ she thought, _"Winter is coming. What a pain." _As she continued on her way, she noticed something unsettling. Not far from her, a man stood gazing up at the radio tower, wearing a very familiar black uniform. At first, she felt an unbearable wave of exhaustion fall over her. Did she really have to go through this again? These guys weren't a challenge, just an annoyance for her and the rest of her friends. _"But maybe I'm missing something here."_ she began to wonder, _"That guy's probably not with Team Rocket. Maybe it's some sorta stupid dress up game."_ To be safe, she decided to ask a random passerby for their opinion.

"Excuse me miss." Lyra said to a young Lass standing not to far from her. "Do you know why that guy was wearing a Team Rocket suit?"

"Actually, I was wondering the same thing!" she laughed, "It's kinda funny. Team Rocket was abandoned when they were defeated by a young trainer a couple years back. I highly doubt they would get back together."

"Yeah..." Lyra lost herself in deep thought. Maybe he wasn't part of Team Rocket. But maybe he was. Maybe...

"People should really be careful. Dressing up like a member of a famous gang for no good reason can scare people." Oh yeah, Lyra had almost forgotten that she was in a conversation with someone.

"Well, I should go. It was nice talking to you." She tried to be polite. This girl was nice, even if she had been no help. Next time she probably shouldn't ask random passerby for their opinion.

* * *

"So, Silver and Lyra right?" Asked Touko as N grabbed her a soda from his bag. "I think it would be cute."

"From what I can tell, he's really into her. More than he lets others know."

"I did have a talk with Lyra about it, but from all we could tell it was only a slight interest." she took a sip of her drink and thought for a second. "How obsessed do you think he is?"

"Almost as much as me when I met you." N suggested, "But not quite that much. Yet."

"I see. Ferris wheel crazy?"

"We said we wouldn't talk about the ferris wheel! So, who else do you think would be a cute match?"

"I dunno. We're out of girls." Touko smiled to herself, "Ash and Gary. Ahh that's funny."

"Yeah, totally!" N giggled, "The new power couple!" Both of them remained silent for a moment as the idea sunk into their heads. The expression on N's face slowly morphed from amusement to seriousness. He suddenly sat up, as if shocked. "Touko!" He grabbed his girlfriend's shoulder and whisper yelled, "Ash and Gary!"

"Oh my Arceus!" Touko was whisper yelling too, "Ash and Gary! Do you think..."

"It could be. I remember Gary being extra protective of Ash in the well..."

"Protective? How?"

N gave Touko a look and lowered his voice even more. "He called Ash his play-thing." He whispered, "_HIS_ play-thing. He made that part clear. He told me specifically, like he was trying to get me to back off."

"OH MY-" she stopped herself and began to think very deeply.

"What is it?"

"We need to test our theory." she said, "Like, conduct an experiment."

"Do you think that's right? For us to do that?" N asked nervously.

"Let's just say it's for the good of science."

"Oh, okay! Well then, what should we do?"

"Lets see... According to your story, Gary is uncomfortable with you getting to close to Ash, so..." Touko smiled evilly at N. He smiled back. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Darling, I have no clue." He said, shrugging.

"Ugh." Touko sighed, "I'm thinking that you and Ash start spending a lot of time together. We'll see if Gary gets jealous. If he does, then the theory will be proven."

"That shouldn't be hard." N said, "The kid has another question for me every five seconds. If Gary weren't here, Ash would never leave me alone."

"Then it's settled!" Touko squealed, "This is sooooo cute!"

* * *

"Hey! Silver! Silver! Silver!" Even when he thought he had found the most secluded place of all, she managed to track him down.

"What now sparkles?" Silver hopped out of the tree he had been sitting in, and walked over to Lyra, who was gasping for air.

"I think- I saw- a- ah-" she panted, "Give me a second."

"What have you gotten yourself into this time?" Silver sat down beside her underneath the tree. "You didn't get mugged, did you?"

"N-no." She seemed to calm down a bit, "I saw a man in a Team Rocket uniform standing outside the radio tower."

"You did? Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure. There was only one of them."

"Damn. Those guys are fucking annoying." he said, and thought to himself for a second. "Lets not do anything unless they cause trouble. We don't want to screw things up." Lyra was only half listening. She had run all the way from the radio tower to Route 34, and was exhausted.

"Tired..." She muttered, and rested her head on Silver's shoulder, making his cheeks turn pink.

"W-what do you think you're-"

"Shut up Silver." She put her hand to his face, making him even more nervous. "I wanna sleep." And in a matter of moments she was silently napping. Silver tried not to moved too much. If he woke her, this sweet moment could end all too soon. Then an idea struck him.

_"She's asleep." _he thought, _"So she won't notice if I just..."_ cautiously, he reached over, and lightly touched her hair. _"It feels like a furret!"_ He didn't know for how long, but he started to stroke her hair lightly over and over again. It took him almost five minutes to realize what he was doing. Shocked at his own behavior, he jerked his hand away. _"I'm such a hopeless creep."_ Silver silently prayed that she hadn't noticed. His heartbeat was way quicker than normal, and he felt as if he was about to pass out himself. _"What's happening here? Am I sick?"_

* * *

Touko inspected the road for a sign of the couple in question. N had gone to his PC box and collected his favorite Pokemon from Unova. Specifically his Samurott.

"So, how serious do you think it is?" asked N, "I mean, if there's anything at all."

"I dunno. They couldn't be dating. It would be more obvious if they were."

"I think it's mainly just Gary's crush." N admitted, "Ash seems to act like Gary's annoying little brother, but Gary has some other sort of pleasure in bothering him."

"I've noticed that too." Touko agreed, "To be honest, I'm sorta cheering for this pairing now. I'm such a weirdo."

"That makes two of us."

"Shhh! Here they come!" Touko whispered, "Together!" she felt compelled to add. As if to have suddenly received ninja skills, the two switched from stalker mode into casual poses.

"Hey friends. How goes it?" asked Touko, not bothering to look up from the town map she pretended to be reading.

"Oh, you know." Gary said, disinterested, "Goldenrod is beautiful, so much to do, see all the sights. Same old."

"Actually, I'm glad you asked!" Ash was in somewhat a better mood. "I went to challenge the gym and I won!"

"You did?" N jumped at his chance, "Congrats!"

"I got the Plain badge way before he did." muttered Gary, but nobody seemed to hear him.

"Hey Ash, I got something to show you!" N withdrew his poke ball from his belt, "Come out, Samurott!" Ash watched in awe as the Pokemon burst from its capsule and landed on the grass in front of them. He was left speechless for a moment before bursting from excitement.

"THAT'S SO COOL! LOOK AT IT! IT HAS A SWORD ON IT'S HEAD AND IT'S BLUE AND-" as Ash ranted about the amazing Pokemon, Gary angrily twisted his necklace around his fingers.

_"Just who does that N guy think he is? He thinks he can just show Ash a magical new Pokemon and win him over? Doesn't he have a girl? I thought I told him-"_

"Gary?" Touko was now interested, "You doin' okay?"

"O-of course! Why wouldn't I be?" he defended.

"Well, for starters, you're little necklace is in a knot." she pointed at his necklace, which was now twisted in a mangled knot around his fingers. Touko smiled as Gary quickly untangled it. "I think Ash and N get along pretty well, don't you?"

"Do they?" Gary mumbled.

"Yup. They're such good friends, it's kind of cute!" Touko smiled pleasantly. Gary was biting down on his lower lip to keep the rest of himself from shaking. "So Gary," she called his attention back to their conversation, "what is your relationship with Ash exactly?"

"W-what!?"

"You know what I mean." Touko lowered her voice into a more serious tone, "You say you're rivals, but I don't believe that. Otherwise you wouldn't travel together."

"U-um." Gary struggled to find the correct words to get him out of his situation.

"Are you friends? Is he like your brother?" she fired the questions at him as if she were shooting bullets, "Or is he, you know..." She paused to take a look at Gary's expression. He was staring at the ground, looking extremely uncomfortable, and a bit worried. Touko decided that was enough evidence, and decided to let him go. "Anyways, it's just great that everyone gets along here! It was quite a different story with my friends in Unova." And just like that, she walked away.

Gary let out a sigh of relief once she had gone. That was too close. But he had managed to dodge the bullets she had fired. And yet, he couldn't help but feel a little wounded. He didn't want Ash as a friend, or a brother. The reminder of what he wanted had been like a shot to the back.

"So Ash," N said once Ash had calmed down, " You wanna go do something today? Just you and me, to celebrate your winning streak?"

"C-can we really?! I'd love to!" A new wave of excitement washed over Ash. Today he was going to spend a whole day with the coolest trainer from Unova.

Gary swallowed hard, and N decided that he was pushing his limits. "That is, if it's okay with you two." he gestured over to Touko and Gary.

"It's perfectly fine with me!" Touko smiled pleasantly. Gary remained silent. He was focusing all his energy on keeping his face free from emotion. Ash seemed to notice something was wrong, and he found that interesting. They were rivals, but he could tell whenever Gary wasn't being himself. How very strange.

"You wanna come too, Gary?" he asked.

"I-if I have to." Gary said rudely.

"You don't have to. I'm just being nice."

"I said I'm coming!" As the trio walked into town, a huge cheshire cat smile spread across Touko's face. This was by far the most adorable couple she had ever seen. The adorableness rivaled that of Silver and Lyra. She walked off into the underbrush of Route 34, fantasizing about the couple.

* * *

Lyra appeared to be asleep. She didn't snore, she just lay there quietly, like a sleeping toddler. Silver had placed his arms around her. A couple times he had thought about shifting into a more comfortable position, but decided against it. While she slept he let his mind wander, not bothering to restrict it from the random thoughts of affection it sometimes had. This meant that many small thoughts sounded off at once, making it hard to hear one specific idea clearly. But he caught bits of the conversation.

He heard things like,"How_ much do you like her?" _and _"Do you think you could be together someday?" "What would it be like to kiss her?" "What if you got married?" "Do you think she'd love you?" "How much do you want her?"_ Eventually he realized how dangerous it was to think deeply, especially about a relationship that didn't exist. But, she did like him, at least as a friend. Maybe that's where they could start and build up from there. Suddenly, a daydream popped into his mind.

* * *

_Silver's Crazy Daydream:_

_He saw Lyra looking up at him, smiling. When she extended her hand, he reached out and took it. She pulled him down to her height and whispered in his ear, "I love you, so let's stay together forever, okay?"_

* * *

Silver snapped out of his fantasy, realizing that he was extremely flustered. He could hear his own heartbeat in his ears, and panicked. What if she could hear it? He knew Lyra was out cold, but sitting next to her after thinking such things made him embarrassed and tense. Oddly, a wide smile broke out across his face. He tried to stop it, but he was already grinning from ear to ear. His cheeks burned from shame. _"What the hell is with me!? I shouldn't feel like this after thinking what I just thought! What am I going to do if she sees?" _And yet, he could do nothing but sit there while embers of emotion flurried inside him, burning the name "Lyra" into his heart. _"What on earth am I gonna do?"_

Lyra slightly tightened her grip on his arm. She had been awake the whole time, but she didn't to tell _him_ that. Now she considered that Silver's slight crush was more than she had previously thought. She didn't know why, but the thought of him being with her wasn't so terrible. He _was_ a huge jerk, but it seemed like maybe there was more to him than that. Lyra moved her arms so she held him in more of a cuddle, and took a peek at his face through her half opened eye. His whole face was a light reddish-pink. His expression showed a bit of tension, but also an odd look of satisfaction._ "This can work."_ she thought, _"But I'll have to take it slow. Very slow."_

* * *

The three split up into a couple of Gary and Ash, leaving out N most of the time. He didn't mind, after all that meant he got to watch the cuteness. Ash, however, had detected something was wrong. "Gary, you're acting funny. Are you okay?"

"Of course I am!" Gary insisted, "What makes you think otherwise?"

"Well, you seem to be mad at N for some reason. Why?" Ash watched as Gary became flustered. _"Something is obviously wrong. His grip is really tight." _Ash pondered for a second before realizing something. _"Wait! Is he-!"_ His face turned red at the realization that Gary was tightly grasping his hand. He glanced around the street nervously. No one was staring, except for N, who was smiling like a psychopath. Ash stared at him with a look of embarrassment and horror as he realized his idol was watching him hold hands with a boy. _Help me! _he mouthed. N shrugged and made his way over to them.

Instead of doing something helpful like Ash had hoped, N grabbed Ash's other hand, so now the three of them were holding hands in a line. Gary looked as if he absolutely loathed N. "What are you doing?" he growled.

"What? I thought this is what we were doing." N replied casually. "Since you two were holding hands, I thought we were doing some kind of friendship thing."

"AHH!" Gary released Ash's hand and turned away. "I'm sorry! I-" his face was completely red. Then, he suddenly turned on N. "You're such a jack ass!" he shouted before storming off. N didn't seem fazed at all.

"Oh no." Ash mumbled. "I don't think this is going very well."

"He just needs time to cool down." N said reassuringly. "It can be really stressful when you don't know your own feelings."

"F-feelings?!" Ash began to blush again.

"Yeah. Isn't that obvious?" N sighed, "Ash, you are one of my closest friends, but you can be so clueless."

"You think he..."

"Yes! Why do you think he's so protective? And he follows you around all the time, even though you two are 'rivals'." Ash was silent for a while, lost in thought. He remembered when Gary bought him that snack. And when Touko called them an old married couple... Admittedly, he did think about that too much for them just being friends. N decided that Ash had been quiet for too long.

"Do you have feelings for him too?"

"W-well..." Ash stuttered, "I think...What if I do!?" He seemed a little frightened and flustered at the same time. "I think I like him but, he's a _boy_."

"Don't worry too much." N was trying to comfort him, "It doesn't really matter who you fall in love with. We'll still be your friends no matter what happens."

"How do you know so much about this?" Ash asked.

"Lots of experience." N said. "And lots of internet research."


End file.
